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Blockchain, obvs

Oregon's much vaunted blockchain incubator started accepting applications from startups on Wednesday in Portland.

"The Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio will support the development of an ecosystem around Blockchain and adjacent technologies to create jobs and businesses with the potential to establish Oregon as a global center for Enterprise Blockchain development," said organizers in a statement.

The studio is helmed by R/GA Ventures, the venture arm of R/GA the global digital agency and consultancy known for its work with Nike.

The Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio (OEBVS) is the first program of its kind designed to build a blockchain-based ecosystem, and position Oregon's businesses and institutions to further compete globally.

"The intersection of the state's technology workforce and commercial interests provides an opportunity for Oregon to be one of the first state sponsors of a public-private partnership to embrace blockchain technologies, potentially transforming how we live, work, play, learn, and govern. "

OEBVS will focus on leveraging emerging startup products, services, and tools to solve targeted business objectives for the Studio Partners and amplify these successes across the state and globally.

The Studio will identify strategic opportunities for startups, and provide the selected Program Companies with the market opportunities, guidance, and partnerships to achieve momentum for sustainable growth.

Blockchain technology is an emerging technology with a robust and rapidly evolving developer ecosystem. Blockchain technology provides a secure way to encode transactions between parties, creating irreversible, immutable chains of information. This technology has implications for any organization that keeps records, tracks supply chains, creates intellectual property, or deals with sensitive data. It has the potential to enable new decentralized organizational constructs that could disrupt existing data-driven businesses. With use cases ranging from health care and logistics to data security and financial infrastructure, Blockchain technology presents a new frontier of exploration and innovation for forward-thinking enterprises.

The Studio program will take place out of R/GA's Portland Pearl District office, launching on July 29, 2019. The program will conclude in October with a demo event at which each startup will present to industry leaders, partners, investors, and customers from the technology and innovation community.

Startup applications opened on April 24th, 2019 and admissions will roll throughout the year. Global startups working on all aspects of enterprise blockchain technologies, products, and services are encouraged to apply at www.oebvs.com.